Giving Matters

12:00 am

Sat August 17, 2013

The Fight For Frisky Hill

On her commute from Laconia to Pittsfield six days a week, Tobi Gray Chassie often stops at scenic spot in Gilmanton called Frisky Hill. When Chassie saw a sign telling of plans to develop the land, she felt that it was her duty to support the Gilmanton Land Trust in their protection of the land which meant so much to her.

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Credit Gilmanton Land Trust

In her letter to the Gilmanton Land Trust, Chassie said that people often ask her how she tolerated the commute across Route 107 between Laconia and Pittsfield. "The answer has always been easy: the views," Chassie wrote. "Not a week goes by that I don't stop either on the way to Pittsfield to take in an early morning sunrise or on the way back to Laconia for a fantastic sunset." Although her husband was hesitant to donate at first, Chassie's letter to the trust soon changed his mind. "My only regret is that I am unable to donate more generously," Chassie said in the beginning of her letter.

Frisky Hill has been the location of many memories for Chassie including ones with her now-grown child. Chassie would bring her daughter with her for some of the commutes, exposing her to the beauty of the land. "I became accustomed to saying to my infant daughter 'Gorgeous. A gorgeous sunset.' After the usual first words of 'mama' and 'dada,' her next word was 'gorgeous,'" Chassie said. "She is now 26, and to this day, as I travel down over the north side of Frisky Hill, I think of my baby saying 'gorgeous,' marking the beginning of her appreciation for our precious earth."

Chassie believes that it is very important to conserve open space. "We have the obligation to protect some of our property so that for generations to come, we still have places that are open and green and supporting a community of wildlife."

Like the Gilmanton Land Trust, local land trusts help preserve New Hampshire's quality of life.